Hi, I'm Tomi and welcome to Three Boys and an Old Lady blog
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So You Wanna Be a Blogger: 5 Things Non-bloggers Think About Bloggers

This is a short list of some common misconceptions my non-blogging family and friends have about bloggers.

You got all this stuff for free: Free? Are you kidding me? There is a common misconception that bloggers get tons of free stuff. Free means little or no work is required and that's not the case. Each blog post requires time and energy, not to mention internet, electricity, bandwidth, etc. and neither of these are free.

You're always blogging: Five words - Scheduled Posts And Editorial Calendar. I have four kids and a husband, I work full time, I serve on several committees, I am the carpool mom, and I volunteer... I volunteer a lot so there is no way I could always do anything, including blogging. Here's my secret: I use an editorial calendar to keep up with my blogging deadlines and schedule my posts throughout the week.

You're a blogger, you must be a great writer: I'm a decent writer, but I'm not the best storyteller and blogging is about telling stories. You can write to your heart's content totally oblivious to grammar, technique, punctuation, etc. However, blogging is a craft involving attention to grammar, technique, SEO, writing style, FTC disclosure, photos, PR Rank, a story, and so much more.

There's no way you could possibly try all of the stuff on your blog: If I reviewed it on my blog... I have used it. I promise to provide an honest review of every product I review so that means I have to try it. Sometimes, I call on family and friends to try certain products for me and offer their thoughts. For example, I have braces so when an opportunity to review a wearable teeth whitener came up, I called on my hubby to test the product and share his thoughts in my blog post. Books? I get a ton of books. Thank goodness for my eReader and fellow book loving friends who sometimes help with my book reviews.

I wanna start a blog just like yours: This should be the number one thing on the list. Go ahead, start a blog but remember like everything else there is a right way and a better way to do things. If I knew now what I knew then I would have things a little differently. Three Boys and an Old Lady is a labor of love. I say labor because it is work. I say love because I love the brand I've built over the years. I've thought about changing the name because many haven't followed me long enough to know the story of how the name came to be. I have three sons and a daughter, yep she's the little old lady. This blog is my creation and reflective of me as your blog should reflect you.

So there you have it. My list of 5 things non-bloggers think about bloggers. What are some things you think non-bloggers think of bloggers?

You have the nail right on the head! I have been a blog for a very long time and in order to be very successful you need to continually work at it. Nothing is free when it comes to blogging. Yes there definitely benefits but you were hard for them.

Yes to all of these! I am a home decor blogger, so do get a lot of free stuff, or even paid to work with the brands. So many people comment that they want free stuff for their house too. Well I put in about 15 hours of work between styling the pictures, taking them, editing them and then writing the post. Before any actual promotion gets started for each post. I earn that "free" stuff!

I couldn't help but smile at the "You're always blogging" comment. Certainly, with all the things there are to do, one could fill all of their time doing it. The reality is we have a lot of other cool things in our lives and blogging isn't necessarily the thing that defines us. x

Whats funny #1 inspires #5. When I first started blogging years ago no one thought what I did was cool if anything it was ignored. Now I do have people saying I want to be a blogger like you and I have a similar response, please go ahead but be consistent (and sad enough there are people only doing it for the free stuff and lose motivation to blog passionately).

My mom loves to offer me up to tell people to start a blog and do what I do. Drives me crazy because she had a job where everyone thought they could get into it easy as well and she knew that wasn't the case.

Oh goodness. Everything is true in this post! I remember my family's reaction when I told them I will quit my corporate job and focus on blogging. They thought I was crazy! Seriously, blogging is a lot of hard work and patience. It is just like giving birth and raising a child until that child becomes successful.

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P R Welcome

Mommy, Wife, Daughter, full-time worker, budding author and so much more. Yep that's me. A military brat who finally settled in Northern California where I met the love of my life who brought me home to his home in the South. HELLOoooooo Arkansas! This fab diva in the making loves good food, good wine, good books, lotsa candy, reality TV, video games and obeys all the rules of the carpool drop-off lane.

You're in the right place if you're looking for great giveaways, books and products reviews. Three Boys and an Old Lady offers honest reviews from a Mommy, Daddy, boy, girl, tween, teen, infant, wife, point-of-view and all points in between.